This invention relates to an electronic abacus calculator comprising an electronic abacus display screen in combination with a numeric display and an electronic keyboard calculator. The invention further comprises a multi-abacus capable of use with a plurality of number base systems. The invention also comprises a personal abacus, which comprises a carrying case suitable to hold the electronic abacus calculator or a multi-base electronic calculator or a multi-base mechanical calculator or any combination thereof.
The abacus has been well known for many years as a manual calculator for performing the four basic mathematical operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. The abacus has commonly been available in two varieties, i.e., the Japanese variety and the Chinese variety. The Chinese abacus comprises a plurality of rods with each of the rods containing five beads in a first section, frequently referred to as the earth section, with two additional beads being positioned on each of the same rods in a second section referred to as the heaven section. In the operation of the abacus, the five beads represent unitary values in the first row with the beads on the same rod in the second section representing five units. In the heaven section, the second rod represents tens; the third rod represents hundreds and the like.
The Japanese abacus comprises four beads on a rod in a first (earth) section with a single bead on the same rod in the section. A plurality of rods is used. The beads in the first section represent unitary values with the bead of the second section representing five units. As in the Chinese abacus, the second rod represents tens; the third rod represents hundreds and the like. The operation of either type of abacus is well known to those skilled in the art for performance of the four basic mathematical operations described above.
The operation of the abacus results in the user becoming familiar with mathematical concepts of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division as a result of the operation of the beads to accomplish these objectives. Many individuals prefer to use an abacus for simple transactional calculations rather than electronic calculators. Unfortunately, abacuses are cumbersome to carry in the form in which they are normally produced. Further they are limited in that certain additional calculations such as the extraction of square root and the like are not normally done on an abacus. As a result, the use of abacuses has been limited to basically the four mathematical operations discussed above. This has limited the availability of abacuses to users for wider calculational application and it has limited their use as teaching tools because of the limited number of applications, which can be produced.
Typically abacuses of both types are produced with nine rods, although more rods could be used if desired for larger numbers. A further shortcoming of most abacuses is the limitation to base-10 calculations. While base-two calculations could be performed on either the Japanese or Chinese abacus, the use of other number-based systems is prohibited.
Accordingly, a continuing effort has been directed to the development of systems wherein the apparatus can be used as a teaching tool and can be available to those who prefer it in combination with other calculator systems in a system which can be readily transported and used by the individual. Both the electronic calculating abacus and the multi-base abacus are presented in combinations to make them more portable and easy to operate than the traditional mechanical Japanese or Chinese abacus.
The present invention comprises: an electronic abacus calculator, the calculator comprising: an electronic abacus display screen adapted to display an abacus comprising a plurality of rods bearing beads, the beads being separated into two or three portions on each rod by a divider(s) with each portion containing at least one bead, the beads being moveable on the rods to indicate at least one selected value on the abacus and to perform calculations on the abacus; a numeric display in communication with the electronic abacus display screen and adapted to display numeric values representative of the values on the abacus; a controller in communication with the electronic abacus display screen and adapted to select and move beads on the rods of the abacus to enable the display of selected values and the performance of calculations on the abacus; and, an electronic keyboard calculator in communication with the numeric display and the abacus display and adapted to perform addition, subtraction, multiplication and division functions, adapted to display numeric values on the abacus and on the numeric display and including keys for numbers 0-9 and for the four, mathematical functions, a decimal point key and an equal sign key.
The present invention further comprises: a multi-abacus useful for performing calculations in a number base selected from multiple number bases, the multi-abacus comprising: a frame; a plurality of rods positioned parallel to each other across the frame; a first zone bead positioned on each of at least a major portion of the rods in a first zone formed by the frame and a first divider; two second zone beads positioned on each of at least a major portion of the rods in a second zone formed by the frame, the first divider and a second divider, the second zone beads being of different colors with the second zone beads of a first color being positioned nearer the first divider than the second zone beads of a second color; and, five third zone beads positioned on each of at least a major portion of the rods in a third zone formed by the frame and the second divider, the third zone beads comprising one third zone bead of a first color and four beads of a second color, the third zone bead of the first color being located farthest from the second divider.
The invention further comprises: a personal abacus comprised of a case having a top portion and a bottom portion, the top and bottom portions being joined along one of their sides by a hinge so that the top and bottom portions may be moved between an open and a closed position; and, an abacus mounted in the lower portion so that the abacus is positioned for use when the top portion is in an open position.